On Sunday, I was in the BBC Politics East studio talking about the Chancellor’s emergency budget. Based on many conversations with local firms, I pointed out the damaging impact the £25 billion Jobs Tax increase has had on business confidence even before it comes into effect. Hiring and investment plans have been put on hold and growth has been stopped stone dead.
But these national insurance changes will also have a big impact on hospices - an average additional burden of £120,000 a year. As we considered the legislation on Tuesday, I voted to exempt Tapping House, East Anglian Children’s Hospice, and others from these rises. Unfortunately, Labour MPs in Norfolk and across the country voted to impose this extra cost on them which sadly is likely to affect end of life services.
The same was true of our proposals to exempt care providers, GPs, dentists, and small businesses which where were also rejected.
However, as I am writing this ahead of the Chancellor speaking to the House of Commons, I will return to her wider announcements on downgraded growth forecasts and other measures including further cuts to public spending and their potential impact next week when we have the opportunity to see the detail.
My week actually began at Churchill’s War Rooms where I attended the launch of Scotty’s Little Soldiers new “Behind the Uniform” campaign. This initiative by the Lynn based charity is about ensuring bereaved military and non-military children get better support in schools.
Research found over three quarters of bereaved children and young people had at least one lesson where the content relates directly to the cause of death of their parent or reminded them of their bereavement. More than one in eight students had been asked in GCSE or A-level exams to answer questions that reminded them of the death of their parents. A third of parents felt the handling of curriculum content could have been done more sensitively.
It was very powerful to listen to the young people who are members of Scotty’s Council talk about how a lack of awareness and some topics, such as studying war poetry, had caused much distress and affected their education.
Two animations made by them will hopefully help lead to greater awareness of this issue and increase understanding and assist teachers in how to better meet their needs in the classroom. It should also influence how curriculum options could be revised or handled to recognise their circumstances. You can watch them at www.scottyslittlesoldiers.co.uk/education-research
As it happened, I had been on a school visit on Friday where this issue came up and care and support were in place. I’ll certainly be backing these efforts so that all children affected by bereavement get that help and can thrive in schools.
